Inside the Beast: well-attended both off and on-line, the discussion by Vice Chancellor Sir David Bell in May focused on the politics and law of education

Sir David Bell cuts the ribbon to open the Student Support Centre at the London Road campus, home of the Institute of Education

Sir David Bell’s popularly attended recent BA Education Studies Annual Lecture reflected on where the power really lies within our education system. Drawing on his experiences as Permanent Secretary at the Department for Education and Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools, the Vice Chancellor gave an insider’s account of our education system during his presentation at the University of Reading’s Institute of Education on 10 May.

Sir David’s talk, the Inaugural Lecture of the new BA in Education Studies, fielded questions from students past and present, as well as people across the globe, from Bangladesh to San Diego.

The first in a series, these annual lectures will aim to shine a spotlight on the special interests posed by this new programme, which started in 2017 at the Institute of Education, currently ranked 3rd in the UK for Education, according to the Guardian University Rankings 2018.

The programme’s strong focus on inclusion enables its students to explore issues such as creativity in learning, diversity, social justice and disability, as well as many fundamental moral and social questions in education, such as: Why are there differences in educational attainment for different students? Is there a link between health and learning? Do all citizens have the right to an education?

If you have any other queries about the lecture or the programme, please don’t hesitate to get in touch: t.a.wilson@reading.ac.uk or 0118 378 2641.